It all began when Pope Francis first appeared to the
world in plain white papal cassock without the ermine-lined red velvet cape, and
asked the people at St. Peter’s Square to ask God to bless him first so that he
could in turn bless them. He has since hit
the headlines as one who was “going to be different,” an image fortified by
succeeding untraditional papal gestures: taking the bus with the cardinals
instead of the limousine; paying for his hotel bills; delivering off-the-cuff homilies;
choosing gold-plated silver for his ring and a plain white chair instead of a “throne”;
eschewing the traditional red papal shoes in favor of a black pair; refusing
the pope-mobile to ride a jeep; preferring a simpler residence over the usual papal
apartment—all suffixed unfairly with “unlike his predecessor”. And now, the ultimate “break with tradition”—Pope
Francis’ including two young women and two Muslims in the twelve prisoners
whose feet he would wash on Holy Thursday—that could very well lionize the new
pope as a cult hero of rebels and non-conformists.
While the new pope’s actions interpreted by media as
“break with tradition” may be laudable, merely seeing the man but missing the
message is not serving the truth. Given
the public’s propensity for hero-worship, adoring the shepherd might even make
us forget about the Chief Shepherd he is trying to serve. (Don’t we know how many
heroes have been elevated to the glory of that status through the flawless
dovetailing of propaganda and naivete?) For
the sake of truth, we must guard against hasty assumptions, however consoling, for
they paint but a caricature of the new pope, often at the expense of his
predecessor. This, at the very least, is
divisive.
If Pope Francis’ pontificate must be labeled a “break
with tradition”, let the fact not be ignored that his predecessor did it first. By stepping down from the “barque of Peter”, Benedict
paved the path of simplicity and humility for his successor to tread. In choosing to further serve the Church
through a hidden life of prayer, Benedict deliberately left behind the throne,
the gold ring, the red shoes, the velvet cape, the pope mobile, the papal
apartment, the glamour and glory of the papacy.
So who’s “breaking with tradition”?
Despite the apparent differences in their “papal styles”, the two are
one in walking that certain path for the faithful to follow. Neither is “breaking with tradition,” for
both are upholding the Church tradition of following Christ’s demands.
I’d like to think that the enthusiasm over Pope
Francis’ “break with tradition” simply indicates people’s hunger for what he
calls “shepherds with the odor of the sheep.”
Perhaps we praise his headline-worthy gestures because we miss them in
our own local pastors who sometimes act like feudal lords. Perhaps Pope Francis’ surprising choices—like the
stunning resignation of Pope Benedict XVI—may bear greater significance if taken
as spurs to our own individual renewal.
Earlier on, in the midst of speculations circling
the new pope, the Pope Emeritus once said “God has a plan.” In the light of faith, I find that easy
enough to grasp. Thus, with gratitude
and joy I wait and watch as that plan of God unfolds. And that’s the truth.
